Bengaluru: Was the Lokayukta police on the verge of exposing perhaps the biggest corruption scam in the Lokayukta - of a reported nexus among some officials and a man allegedly believed to be a ‘close relative’ of the Lokayukta in running an extortion racket running into crores of rupees by calling up government officers from fake mobile numbers, asking them to pay a hefty bribe to avoid anti-corruption raids?
The phone numbers in the call detail record (CDR) of executive engineer, Zilla Parishad, Mr Krishnamurthy, who was reportedly being hounded by a man named Krishna Rao to pay a bribe of one crore rupees to prevent a Lokayukta raid, were operating under fictitious names.
Krishna Rao, according to official sources, is a tout and a front for the "big" man behind the scam in the Lokayukta office. According to sources he could be the 'rogue element' from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike, who was quietly placed at the Lokayukta office, by an insider to conduct the racket.
This so-called ‘Krishna Rao’ has reportedly been making calls along with an alleged relative of the Lokayukta from fake numbers to officers, from whom he demands hefty bribes. “The phone numbers are registered in various names, many of whom are women, who don't exist. It is a huge racket running into crores of rupees,” said a high level source.
Krishnamurthy had received calls from ‘Krsihna Rao’ telling him that the Joint Commissioner (Public Relations) wanted to meet him in the office and when he showed up the next day, Rao asked him to pay a bribe of rupees one crore to avoid the humiliation of a raid. He refused to pay the bribe.
Krishnamurthy then complained to Superintendent of Lokayukta (City) police Sonia Narang on May 7 about Rao and she asked him to lodge a written complaint. He developed cold feet. When asked to identify Rao, he said he was a tall and hefty man in his 40s.
When shown photographs of some people thought to be 'Krishna Rao,' he said none of them matched the man he had met with. In a brave if risky move, Ms Narang on May 9 sent a written complaint to the Registrar, Lokayukta.
A month later the Lokayukta entrusted the investigation to Inspector General of Police (Lokayukta) Pronab Mohanty and on June 24 the Upalokayukta Subhash Adi asked Ms Narang also to step in.
The police were trying to home in on Rao's identity and the alleged unholy nexus, when the Lokayukta decided to hand over the investigation to the Central Crime Branch of City police.
Justice Rao orders CCB probe
Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao has directed the Joint Commissioner Central Crime Branch, Chandrashekar to investigate the alleged massive corruption scam in the Lokayukta, even though Mr Chandrashekar’s father in law - the former special deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban Ramanjaneya was arrested by the Lokayukta police along with three middlemen while accepting bribe of Rs 50,000 in 2010 from one Narayanaswamy, a land owner in Bommasandra of Anekal.
CM can’t step in
Terming the raging corruption scam as an “aberration” in the Lokayukta, officers in the chief minister’s office told this newspaper that the CM cannot intervene in the matter because the Lokayukta is an autonomous institution.
AAP: Ayukta must quit
The members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that Lokayukta Justice Y Bhaskar Rao resign immediately as "the alleged bribe demand was made in the house of Mr. Rao itself Mr. Rao should take the responsibility and step down immediately. The persons who demanded bribe claiming to be Krishna Rao and Ashwin Rao should be arrested."
A Murky Network
- April 20: Krishnamurthy, Executive Engineer in Zilla Panchayat, Bengaluru Urban, gets a call from Krishna Rao, who claimed to be the secretary of Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao. He allegedly asks the officer to come to the Lokayukta’s official residence on Sankey Road.
- April 21: Krishnamurthy reportedly meets Krishna Rao and Ashwin Rao in the Lokayukta’s residence in the evening. Krishna Rao tells him that the Lokayukta has many complaints against him.
- April 25: Krishna Rao calls the official again, asking him to come to a five-star hotel on Race Course Road. At the hotel, Krishna Rao allegedly demands Rs 1 crore to stop the Lokayukta police from acting act against him.
- May 7: Mr Krishnamurthy meets Lokayukta SP Sonia Narang and gives an oral complaint about the incident.
- May 9: SP Sonia Narang writes to the Lokayukta Registrar apprising him of the allegations.
- June 9: Justice Rao orders IGP (Lokayukta) to conduct an inquiry into the case.
- June 23: Upalokayukta Justice Subhash B. Adi directs SP Sonia Narang to probe into the matter.
- June 26: Justice Rao transfers the case to the CCB for further probe.
